


Day Seventy-Two || It Occurred to Me...

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [72]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-17 22:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18107744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Sometimes, even the most important dates can sneak up on you. But he doesn't have to face it alone anymore.





	Day Seventy-Two || It Occurred to Me...

Going over their schedule for the next few weeks and poring over the calendar, Sasuke has to pause, doing a double take.

...ah. That’s right.  _ That  _ day is coming up.

Folding laundry on the other side of the table, Hinata gives him a curious glance, noticing his hesitation. “...something wrong?”

“No…” Half-flipped to the next page, Sasuke stares at the date in question. “...the anniversary of the massacre is coming up.”

That stills her mid-fold. “...oh...I see.”

“I should talk to Ino about ordering some flowers.”

A few moments of silence follow before Hinata speaks again. “...you know...it just occurred to me...I’ve never gone with you to visit them.”

That earns another pause. Has she really…? No, that can’t be right - surely he’s taken her to -!

...well...maybe he hasn’t. Sure, they dated last year, but...this is their first married Summer.

“...would you like to go?”

“Only if you feel it would be right.”

He deadpans. “Hinata, you’re my  _ wife _ -”

“Yes, but I also didn’t know them. Visiting someone you lost is a very...personal thing. I may be your wife, but that’s  _ your _ history.  _ Your _ family. I’m a stranger to them, and that tragedy.”

“You also were instrumental in helping bring the truth of their genocide to light. I think that more than qualifies you, if you’re really convinced being my wife doesn’t.”

Still looking a little pensive, Hinata considers the towel in her grip. “...all right then, I’ll go. We can visit my mother, too. Her death’s anniversary was a few months ago, but...well, I can always go see her again, any time.”

That afternoon, the pair go in together to the Yamanaka flower shop, perusing the blooms.

“Oh! Hinata-chan, Sasuke-kun!” Stepping in from the back, Ino quickly perks up at the sight of them. “What brings you in here?”

“I need two bouquets. Funeral ones.”

For a moment Ino’s eyes go wide...and then soften in understanding. “Oh...that time of year, is it? Gosh, I always forget…”

Sasuke withholds a comment (“everyone can forget but me”), going over the arrangements as Hinata quietly browses the displays. In the end, she ends up with a small bundle of lilies to take to her mother. “I figured it’s never a bad day to bring flowers.”

Still, the day itself is a few away, and they arrange to pick the bouquets (and Hinata’s lilies) the day of. Paying in advance, they take their leave and just take to wandering for a time.

“So...do you go every year?”

“Every one I was in Konoha, yes.”

Hinata can’t help a small flinch. “Ah...true…”

“ _ She _ went when I couldn’t. I felt guilty, but...well, couldn’t exactly just  _ traipse _ back into Konoha once a year at that point.”

“No...and I’m sure they understand. At least now, there’s several of us who can go. And m-more than you expected, right?”

“...yeah...you’re right.”

That evening, he speaks to his brother to ensure they don’t double up on offerings. Itachi gives a blink, the only visual sign that he, too, has almost forgotten. Then his expression falls, and Sasuke cuts in.

“It’s been long enough, Itachi.”

“...logically, I know that.  _ Illogically _ …”

Clapping a hand on his brother’s shoulder, Sasuke just gives a grim nod. “...I know. Will Shisui be around to go with us?”

“I believe so. And if I ask, I’m sure he’ll ensure it even if not.”

“Then I guess it’ll be a family affair.”

“As it should be.”

The day then arrives, and as promised, the last few remnants of the Uchiha (and their new members, be it by birth or betrothal) make their way first to the flower shop, and then on to Konoha’s cemetery. Sasuke and Hinata lead the way, carrying their offerings as the rest follow behind.

The Uchiha plot expands far beyond almost any other clan’s.

“...I feel a little guilty we don’t have something for them all…” Hinata murmurs, watching Sasuke kneel at the foot of his parents’ graves.

“I know. It would be an all-afternoon affair.”

Gazing out over all the other headstones, her somber expression doesn’t ease. Next year...she’ll buy enough for them all, even if it’s just one bloom for the rest. Even if it’s costly. They all deserve recognition.

They all gather around, auras dim in their grief, which - for some - seems just as potent as the day they were lost.

Holding his daughter, Itachi - as practiced in stoicism as he is - can’t stop the clench of his jaw and trembling of his chin.

“...we miss you guys,” Sasuke offers, though it seems a vast understatement. He’s addressed them so many times by now… “I hope that, with the truth known...you all rest a little sounder. Those who wronged you are gone...and can no longer hurt anyone else. And though they tried to stomp out our flames...these few embers will carry on. Already we’ve got new sparks. They won’t be rid of us so easily.”

At the nod to their children, both Itachi and his wife hold them close.

For a time, they all stand in mourning silence, heads bowed. Even now, Hinata can’t help but feel a bit out of place despite Sasuke’s assurances. Clutching her lilies, she eventually spares two blooms to accompany the arrangements.

“I...I barely knew you through meetings of our families, but...I hope you would a-approve of me.”

Rather than refute her verbally, Sasuke just wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to press a kiss to her temple.

“...well, we’d best get going,” Itachi then notes softly. “There’s still hours in the day and tasks left to be done. We wish you rest, all you who lie here…”

The rest echo similar sentiments, and all but Sasuke and Hinata take their leave. They, instead, move to the Hyūga-claimed section of the burial grounds.

“...here she is…”

The pair approach a headstone, clearly well-tended as the polished face gleams in the summer sunlight. The name Hyūga Hanako is etched into the rock.

Kneeling, Hinata gently arranges the lilies, a somber yet peaceful look on her face.

After a pause, Sasuke does the same.

Side by side, they look to the gravestone in silence. “...I remember so little about her...I was so young when I lost her. But...what I  _ do _ recall is so warm, and loving...I’m glad to have those memories, at least.”

Glancing over, Sasuke takes her hand, which she squeezes around his own. “...I’ll have to come with you next time.”

“...I would like that. And I’m sure she would, too. Thank you...for sharing all of this with me today.”

“Of course...you’re one of us now. Still a Hyūga, sure...but an Uchiha, too.”

“Mm...and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

**Author's Note:**

> OH GOSH this is late, but I had to do ANOTHER drabble earlier for a friend's birthday! So this one might be a little rushed or lacking, but...I tried!
> 
> This prompt was a little...odd, but eventually this idea hit me, and I rolled with it! I think that, even with their dating before marriage (which in ALAS is for about...a year? year and a half? I forget lol), Sasuke and Hinata have a tendency to just...forget things like this. And I think it's because they're just so well-suited to each other, and so used to the other's presence, they just forget that there's some things the other doesn't know yet. They feel like they've known each other for a lot longer than they have (well, TECHNICALLY speaking they've known each other since being tiny kids, but...they didn't really KNOW each other until post-war in ALAS). So stuff like this just...slips their minds until it's brought up!
> 
> ...anyway, it's very late, and I'm very tired, so...time to call it a night~ Thanks for reading!


End file.
